09/07/2026
2026 NOBO JMT Day 27
Lyell Fork to Tuolumne Meadows
With what turned out to be an 11ish mile day, we certainly took things this morning at a leisurely pace.
I was up at 5:30, took some reflection photos of the pond, and enjoyed the sound of the water cascading off the mountain in the stillness of the morning. I had not one, but two cups of warm tea and ate only half my breakfast.
I’ve grown tired of the food I made and packed, in fact if I never eat quinoa again I’d be ok with that. It’s a texture thing. Other things on the ick list…. Cream of pancakes, omelet bites (yuck) and broccoli soup (double yuck). Nature valley wafer bars are still the bomb, and I find I do better eating my trail mix if I have it for my first snack. Next time, I will just bring nuts….. I’m picking around the other stuff. I’m really not that hungry and I’m fixing only half of the meals I packed. The past few days I was fixing the whole meal, then only ate half; carrying the rest out in the trash. That gets heavy. I’ve reverted to only preparing half the meal, carrying the other half out.
Today’s trek took me down down down into Lyell Canyon following Lyell Fork. The sound of the cascading water had a lulling effect and as I looked out over the canyon I began to notice all the layers. The mountain ranges on the horizon are stacked in multiple layers as is the air that spans across the valley. It is visible via a faraway haze bringing life to the ranges as far as the eyes can see. The granite monoliths surrounding me have visible layers, with each layer telling the story of their creation. This is most evident in the giant boulders that have come to rest along the trail. They give a close up opportunity to see the varying textures of time. I’m most fascinated by the boulders and slabs that have perfect “racing stripes” of different color granite running through them.
As I pass by trunks of downed trees, particularly ones that were cut to clear the trail, they too are layered. Each cylindrical ring (layer) tells us something about a year in that tree’s life. Life…. Is layered. I reflect upon all the layers in my own life. Friend layers, work layers, hobby layers, family layers…..
Lyell canyon ultimately turned flat as I cruised through the endless meadows along the bottom. Such a pretty color pallet of greens and golds. The river running through it provided water and resting spots for many walking along its edge. I enjoyed chatting with other JMTers who were just starting their trek, in the opposite direction. They smelled and looked clean…. It’s a distinction hard to miss…. and they hung on every word of experiential wisdom I had to offer. They were very excited for both my ending and their beginning.
I saw some interesting things along the way…. Lots of chipmunks and Belding’s ground squirrels racing about, a fox/marten like creature escaping through the trees, and some kind of hive/honeycomb on the trail with uncovered moving larvae. The flowers were plentiful and the butterflies were out in force.
In time, the meadow became monotonous, and quite frankly hot, so the wander became a slog. I don’t listen to music when I hike so I resorted to a trick passed on from my Camino friends and sang endless rounds of “The Ants Go Marching” until I landed in Tuolumne Meadows.
I had spent much of the day fantasizing about the grill; big juicy hamburger and an iced cold drink. What a disappointment it turned out to be. They were out of hamburgers, ice, mayo and ketchup. I ended up with a hotdog, a warm root-beer and a bag of chips from the store. The frosty to top it off, though, was the bomb.
At dinner, I remember sharing that the bottom of my waterproof pack liner had busted out so it’ll probably rain…. It hadn’t rained in weeks so that seemed far fetched.
It felt good to be back in familiar territory as I crawled into bed and I was finishing my 4th book, as I heard rain pinging off my tent. Go figure.
3 more sleeps…..
Daily Stats
Miles: 11.48
Ascent: 602ft
Descent: 2086ft
Trip Total
Miles: 229.14
Ascent: 49342ft
Descent: 50303ft
